Cluny Macpherson (1879 - 1966),
physician and soldier, was born 18 March 1879 in St. John’s, Newfoundland, one
of two sons (one brother, Harold) born to Campbell Macpherson and Emma Duder.
He completed his early schooling at Methodist College in St. John’s and then
continued his education at McGill University in Montréal. There, Macpherson
earned his degree in Medicine (1897 - 1901), and at the same time volunteered
with the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen, of which the Newfoundland
Branch came to be known as the Grenfell Mission. Upon graduation from McGill,
Dr. Macpherson began his medical career at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

In the following year Dr.
Macpherson returned to Newfoundland to join Dr. Wilfred Grenfell’s Labrador
Mission, and was placed in charge of the hospital in Battle Harbour, Labrador.
He also served as magistrate for the area. Dr. Macpherson remained there until
1904, when he returned to St. John’s to begin private practice. Dr. Macpherson
also received government commissions during this time, such as in 1909 when he
went to the southwest coast to fight a smallpox epidemic. Dr. Macpherson also
continued his involvement with the International Grenfell Association (IGA),
eventually serving as a director of both the IGA and the Grenfell Association,
Newfoundland. He also played a key role in the development, structuring and
operation of the Seamen’s Institute (later called the King George V Institute),
another Grenfell project.

Dr. Macpherson was involved with
the St. John Ambulance Association, which led to the creation of the St. John
Ambulance Brigade with three divisions in St. John’s. When World War I broke
out, members of the Ambulance Brigade enlisted in the Newfoundland Regiment.
Macpherson organized these people into an Ambulance Unit, which continued
throughout the war. Macpherson himself enlisted on 21 September 1914, at the
rank of captain (the same year that he became a director of the family
business, The Royal Stores). He was appointed Principal Medical Officer, 1st
Newfoundland Regiment, went overseas in March 1915 and later appointed Major on
7 August 1915. He served in France, Belgium, Egypt, Salonica and was eventually
transferred to Gallipoli where he acted as an advisor on poisonous gas, which
the Allies feared Germany was about to use there. He used a German helmet taken
from a captured prisoner to fashion a canvas hood with transparent eyepieces
that was treated with chlorine-absorbing chemicals. In doing so, he invented
the gas mask, now used by millions of military troops around the world.

Following injury in Egypt,
Macpherson returned to Newfoundland, October 1916, and served as Director of
Medical Services for the Militia. He was appointed a member of the first War
Office Committee on poisonous gases, and also director of medical services for
Newfoundland during World War I. He was demobilized on 9 September 1919 at the
rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.

Dr. Macpherson played a continual
role in the medical profession, in capacities such as President of the St.
John’s Clinical Society and the Newfoundland Medical Association. He was
vice-president of the Newfoundland St. John Ambulance Association in 1937, and
later became assistant commissioner of the St. John Ambulance Brigade overseas.
He was Chairman of the Commissioners-In-Lunacy, which instituted periodic
inspections and an appeal mechanism for patients at the Lunatic Asylum (now the
Waterford Hospital). Dr. Macpherson was also the Registrar of the Newfoundland
Medical Board. After Confederation with Canada (1949), he became a member of
the Medical Council of Canada (1949 onwards) and from 1954 to 1955 he was the
second Newfoundlander to serve as President, the first being the founder of the
council itself, Sir Thomas Roddick, who was born in Harbour Grace in 1846. Dr.
Macpherson was also Honorary President of the St. John Ambulance Association
during World War II.

Cluny Macpherson received many
honours and awards in his lifetime. He was made a Companion of the Order of St.
Michael and St. George (1918); Honorary President of the Newfoundland Council
of the St. John Ambulance (1953); Honorary Vice-President of the Newfoundland
Council of Canadian Red Cross (1953); member of Medical Council of Canada
(President 1954 - 1955); elected a Fellow of the British Royal College of
Surgeons (1955); invested as a Knight of Justice of the Venerable Order of St.
John of Jerusalem (1955) (reclassification of Knight of Grace of the Order of
St. John of Jerusalem, 1913); elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society for the
Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (14 January 1957); and was
awarded an honorary degree by Memorial University (1962). He was also Honorary
President of the Clan Macpherson Association of Canada and Honorary
Vice-President of the parent association.

In 1902, Dr. Macpherson married
Eleanora Barbara Thompson (O.B.E., Dame of Order of St. John of Jerusalem, died
1964), daughter of William Macleod Thompson, Northumberland County, Ontario. They had two children, Emma Allison (1903 - 1971) and Campbell Leonard (1907 - 1973, Lieutenant-Govenor, Newfoundland and Labrador, 1957 - 1963). Dr.
Macpherson remained in St. John’s until his death on 16 November 1966.

CUSTODIAL HISTORY:

After Cluny Macpherson’s death in
1966, Dr. Ian Rusted retained his personal papers, medical records and office
effects. The medical records and office effects were transferred to the Lillian
Stevenson Nursing Archives and Museum, Dr. Leonard A. Miller Centre in St.
John’s. Remaining material was kept in Dr. Rusted’s office at the Health
Sciences Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland until
he transferred them to the Faculty of Medicine Founders’ Archive in October of
1999.

SCOPE AND CONTENT:

Fonds consists of the
personal and professional records created by Cluny Macpherson during his work
in the medical profession and his involvement with a variety of individuals and
organizations in Newfoundland and abroad. Fonds also includes
publications relating to the life and activities of Dr. Macpherson. Fonds
is arranged in the following series:

The papers of Dr. Cluny
Macpherson were donated to the Founders’ Archive by Dr. Ian Rusted, who had
custody of the papers following Macpherson’s death in 1966. Dr. Rusted
transferred the papers to the Founders’ Archive in October of 1999.

ARRANGEMENT:

When the papers of Dr. Cluny
Macpherson arrived at the Founders’ Archive, there was some degree of order
present. The files had been previously organized by Dr. Rusted. This formed the
framework for further arrangement and description of the collection.

RESTRICTIONS:

Access to some of the material in
this fonds is restricted. Such material is clearly marked in the finding
aid and will not be available to researchers.For further instruction, contact the archivist.

TERMS GOVERNING USE AND
REPRODUCTION:

Material in this fonds is
protected by copyright. Copyright regulations state that any copy of archival
material is to be used solely for research
or private study. Any use of copied
material for any other purpose may require the authorization of the copyright
owner. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain copyright clearance
from the copyright holder(s).

Copyright regulations require
that records be kept of all copies made of materials deposited prior to 1
September 1999, and that these records may be viewed by the author of the
material, the copyright owner, or representatives of either.

Copyright:

Copyright of the material in this
fonds is held by the Faculty of Medicine Founders’ Archive.